A Niger Delta–based human rights activist, Fejiro Oliver, has called on the Federal Government to restructure pipeline surveillance contracts in line with the Nigerian Local Content Act, stressing the need for broader local participation in protecting oil infrastructure.
In a statement released on Friday, Oliver said the Local Content Act, which prioritises Nigerian involvement in the oil and gas industry, provides a clear policy framework that should also apply to pipeline surveillance operations in the region.
According to him, the Act requires preference for Nigerian companies, goods, services and manpower in oil and gas projects, with a minimum of 51 per cent Nigerian equity to qualify as an indigenous company.
He noted that the legislation was enacted to build local capacity and ensure inclusive management of national resources, arguing that the same principles should guide the award and execution of pipeline protection contracts.
Oliver maintained that decentralising the contracts would promote fairness and inclusiveness across the Niger Delta, a region made up of diverse ethnic nationalities.
“If pipeline surveillance must continue, each ethnic group should be allowed to manage and protect the pipelines that pass through its communities and localities,” he said.
He added that if such an arrangement is not considered practical, the responsibility should be assigned to statutory security agencies.
“In that case, the Federal Government should empower the Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which are already constitutionally mandated to carry out such duties, to handle pipeline surveillance,” Oliver stated.
The activist concluded that anchoring pipeline protection on the Nigerian Local Content Act would enhance community participation, encourage cooperation among host communities and ensure the sustainable safeguarding of critical national assets.
